Even the Worst of Enemies
by megamac12
Summary: They hate each other. Or so it seems. Lily/James. Edited version.


She hated him. In a way she couldn't even describe to herself, she hated him; his arrogance, his over confidence, his "full of himself" attitude. And the worst part? He had every right to be. You couldn't point out a single thing in him to humble him. Because he was perfect. From his jet black hair, to his mysterious hazel eyes...those eyes. They penetrated her in a way that chilled her, yet spreading delicious warmth through her.

All the girls were after him, fancied him. And this made him all the more arrogant. Thinking he could have anyone he wanted. Even her. But no. Hell would freeze over before she agreed to go out with him. She would NOT be another reason to inflate his already gigantic ego.

"Hey, Evans!"

Lily groaned. Man of the moment.

"What is it, Potter?" she all but snarled at him. His grin only grew at that. Another thing she hated about him. Nothing, NOTHING got him down.

"Just wondering if you'd like to study together?" he asked, with an innocent expression. Lily felt taken aback since she'd been expecting him to ask her out again.

"What? Why would you need my help studying?"

He smiled condescendingly. "I never said I needed your help, Evans. Just that maybe if I study with you, I'd be able to concentrate better."

She snorted. "Yeah right, concentrate. As if you wouldn't be ogling at me the whole time."

His eyes raked her up and down, "thinking a little too much of ourselves, are we?"

Her temper shot. "Screw you, Potter. Go play with your snitch." with that she made to turn away, but he held up his hands.

"Okay okay. I'm... Sorry. I really meant what I said about the concentration bit. My parents won't be too happy with just average grades... So what say?"

Something about his tone made her look directly at him and before she could stop herself, she was gazing in his eyes. What was it that was so captivating there? What did she see? She didn't want to dwell on that. So she quickly nodded, wishing he'd go away so she wouldn't have those eyes looking at her. He flashed her a grin, and with a "we'll start this evening after Quidditch practice if it's okay with you." he left.

Cursing herself, she turned back to her Transfiguration Homework, not really seeing what was in front of her...her mind focused on something else entirely.

And so the study began. They would get together every other evening after an early dinner, spread their books on a table away from the rest of the common room, and get revising. Initially everyone looked at them disbelievingly, shocked at this new friendship. Their constant arguments weren't really secret.

During these study sessions, Lily tried to keep things strictly professional. She couldn't allow anything else between them. The more time they spent together, the more she had to look in his eyes, the more she had to feel his presence, the less she trusted herself.

But it was difficult work remaining professional when you had James as your study partner. Refusing to take anything seriously, he managed to twist anything into a joke, and slowly, she could feel her guard slipping.

They sat in their usual corner, books piled around them. Lily had her Charms notes open, muttering to herself and distractedly moving her fingers. James was doodling a snitch on a spare piece of parchment, bewitching it to fly.

"Evans look at this..." he said, and with another prod of his wand, the drawn snitch leapt off the page and onto her notes. James amused grin was met by a cold expression.

"And this is funny to you?"

"Yeah it is! Why are you always so uptight around me? Loosen up Evans..." that stung since it was sort of true. She wasn't usually like this...more carefree. But around him...

She glared at him. But James thought he saw something playful dancing behind the green fire.

"Let me see." she dragged a piece of parchment towards her and began working on something James couldn't see. Then she rolled up her sleeves, pointing her wand at the parchment, gave it a complicated jiggle, and showed it to James.

She'd drawn a boy flying on a broomstick wearing Gryffindor's red and golden quidditch robes, obviously meant to be him. What was funny was that the head was made to be large, almost disproportionately large so that every time the figure got a little higher in the air, his head would unbalance him and he'd fall flat on the ground.

James let out a guffaw as Lily watched him, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. The fact that he was able to laugh at himself didn't make him seem so arrogant anymore.

James looked up, his eyes twinkling. "Nice charm work there. Though my head isn't really that big, is it?"

"I'm glad you like it. And as for your question, I'd rather not answer it, in case your head deflates a bit." her eyes were definitely teasing him now.

"You are something, Evans. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you get your kicks out of putting me down." James grinned at her, clearly enjoying what was going on.

"Who says you know any better, Potter?"

And with that Lily turned back to her notes, but not before he saw that smile on her face.

With time Lily began opening up more to James and realized, as one often does with people, that he wasn't bad once you got to know him. He was a great friend, extremely loyal, considerate. And so far, he'd been a perfect gentleman towards her, respectful of his boundaries, something she hadn't expected at all. And this had made it easier for her to be comfortable around him. They still argued, no doubt about that. But now, the arguments were more out of habit and were fun, rather than anger.

One night they'd been sitting for an hour and a half, when James got up suddenly and stretched. "Do you want something to eat?"

"wha-?" she muttered distractedly.

"Food, Evans?"

"Oh, no thanks, going down to the kitchens again, are you? There was a slight disapproval in her tone.

He placed a finger on his lips, flashed her a quick smile, and darted out of the portrait hole. She smiled at his antics.

As she was returning to her notes, she saw a sealed parchment lying in front of her, where James sat. It piqued her curiosity, to see it lying there, sealed. Her hand shot forward and she picked it up. Should she open it? She could easily re-seal it once she was through with it. And James wouldn't be back for a bit. Still looking at the parchment, she decided to let her mischievous side operate. She wouldn't open it, not NOW anyway. But she'll wait for James to come back, and tease him about it. This would be entertaining.

A while later, James returned with a piece of pumpkin pie. He placed it in front of her and sat back down.

"Thanks but I told you I didn't want anything to eat."

"Oh lighten up Evans." he said, around a yawn.

Lily bit back her retort, as she saw with some satisfaction, James searching for something.

"Hey Evans, did you clear up my side of the table?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"I can't find something..."

"And what could that be? Your notes?" the innocent tone would have fooled anybody else, but not James.

He looked up at her. "You have it, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"Oh you mean this?" she drew out the parchment from underneath her book. She grinned at him devilishly. "What's in it?"

She saw something in his eyes as he registered the seal intact. Relief maybe?

"Give it here." he held out his hand.

Lily got up and moved around the edge of the table. "No. Just tell me what it is and I'll give it you."

James got up too. As he moved over to where she was, Lily furthered the distance between them.

Drawing herself up, she announced, "Either tell me what it is, or I'll see for myself."

"You won't get to open it Evans, I'll take it from you."

"Only if you can catch me first", her eyes gleamed.

James laughed despite himself and crouched forward accepting the challenge. Their eyes locked, they moved in sync. Lily took one step backward and James took one forwards. They continued this way for a while, moving around armchairs, over tables, staircases. The whole common room was their playground and they were kids, discovering it together.

Lily decided to up the stakes a bit. Keeping her eyes at James, she inserted a thin finger underneath the seal, her lip curling. James stood quite still, and then, without warning he charged at her. Lily let out a peal of laughter and ran away from him. But with his long legs he gained on her and caught up to her. He grabbed one arm and swung her around to face him, her eyes dancing with laughter. He tried to snatch the parchment from her but she kept pulling it away.

"Damn it Evans!"

Finally he slammed her back into a wall, pushed both her hands up high against the wall, imprisoning her and took the parchment.

Lily felt her breath hitch. She drew in a sharp gasp, not because of the impact of her back against the wall, but because with this maneuver, he was pressing against the full length of her body and his face was inches from her, and those eyes...

Having gotten the parchment from her hand, James looked down and froze at the sight before him. Lily Evans, just inches from him, staring up at him with her big round eyes, her flaming hair disheveled. Suddenly he became very aware of her body against his.

Lily's heart was beating rather quick as she allowed herself to look deeper in those eyes, and saw something that even if she could deny, she didn't WANT to...

James blinked. Abruptly, he let go of her hands and stepping back from her, turned away. Lily stood there, trying to catch her breath, watched him for a moment, hands deep in his pockets, back stiff. Then-

"James...?" the sound of his name startled him. She'd always called him "Potter" never James. And that too in such a sweet voice...

"I wasn't really going to read it," she continued. "I was just messing with you."

"I know." he sighed and turned around. "I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh, I- well... It's just too private." he went to sit on the couch.

She followed.

"What is it? A love letter?" the teasing edge had crept back in her voice.

"Of sorts." James replied,

She went still. A love letter? Since when did James Potter write love letters?

"Ah I see..."

There was an awkward pause. Lilly got up and said,

"Well I'm off to bed, see you tomorrow." something in the crispiness of her voice made him smile.

"Evans."

"What?"

"You're not going to ask whom the letter is for?"

"I don't care."

James stood up and turned her around to face him. She refused to look in his eyes.

"I think you do."

Then, with the gentlest of touches Lily thought him incapable of; he lifted her hand, and placed the parchment in it. The tenderness of the gesture and complete vulnerability took Lily by surprise and she looked up. Behind the slight smile, there was some emotion burning there.

He stroked the tip of her nose with his index finger, and with that, he left for his dormitory.

The next morning at breakfast, Lily couldn't eat anything. Her friends kept trying to get her to talk, but to no avail.

She kept looking over to where James sat; trying to figure out if what she'd seen was real or not.

As she'd sat in the common room last night and looked at the parchment, she'd realized something. Behind his devil-may-care attitude, James was something more. He was someone who'd know, without asking, that her favorite pie was pumpkin, someone who'd be able to make her smile without even letting her know...

There was a drawing; a young boy with untidy, black hair was walking, hand in hand with a red haired girl. Something about the picture had made her think "forever"

The bell rang for lessons, snapping her out of her reverie. She put the confused thoughts at the back of her mind, and left.

Later that evening, she excused herself from the common room, and went out to the lake. She needed some air. Once outside, she immediately felt better. Taking deep breaths she tried to rid her mind of all thoughts and wanted to think of nothing.

"Evans!" she sighed. She should have known he'd follow her out. That he'd been watching her the whole time like she him.

"Hey."

"What are you doing out here? Everything alright?"

"No actually, it's not."

"How come?"

"Because...because I'm supposed to hate you! For the past five years, I've hated you because I thought you were an arrogant ass not worth my time. And now. Now I can't bloody get you out of my head! All I can think of is you. And not in a good way."

He studied her silently as she got over with her rant.

What's a "good way""?

"A good way was when I used to day dream how to kill you!"

He bit down on a smirk. "As opposed to...?"

"Well now...now I think about your eyes, and..." she blushed.

James had moved closer. "And?"

"And your hands, your lips... How they'd feel..." she ducked her head and her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Feel?" he gently cradled her face in her hands and pulled her face upwards. Her skin burned where he touched it. She looked into his eyes, her gaze lowering to his lips. Then back up.

"How they'd feel on my skin" she breathed out.

James Looked at her. Waiting.

All Lily could do was feel her heart racing like mad, and hardly being able to breathe at all. As though the world was unraveling in slow motion, everything making sense, she put her arms around James" waist and pulled her body snug close to him. She stood on tip toe, her hands traveling up to his neck, pulling him down.

Then she paused. He tilted his head and moved so close that she could see the grey that flecked his hazel eyes. He paused too. His eyes asking permission, still not forcing her. Still giving her a chance to back out.

But Lily was in too far to ever want to back out. Her eyes answered his query, and she closed the little distance between them, softly brushing her lips against his.

She pulled back to look at him.

James was nervous, suddenly shy. But she wasn't. She took his hands and guided them to her waist, where they tightened of their own accord. She ran her fingers through that mess of hair on his head, and saw a thrill of something in his eyes. She kissed him again.

This time was different. He kissed her slowly, longingly. Their kiss gentle at first, but building. She felt her heart beating wildly. But it gave an almighty lurch and almost stopped as she felt his tongue on her lips, tasting her. She moaned slightly.

James pulled back to look at her, breathing heavily. In between gulps of air, he breathed out her name.

"Lily..."


End file.
